How Soviet citizens managed to eat well and not think about extra pounds

The second wife of my grandfather, grandmother Anna, was a great fashionista in her time and repeatedly recalled that at my age she had a waist of 59 cm. She also often mentioned that this figure was not so rare at the time. Of course, heredity played a big role, but it was much more important. lifestyle. Pay attention to archival photos and backgrounds in old movies. Quite rarely you could see a frankly fat person, the maximum fat. You live, you eat, you don't get fat. Is that how it works?

We all know perfectly well the golden recipes of those times: Olivier and vinaigrette with mayonnaise, fried fish in a litter, pasta in fleet, borscht, some grandmother's cakes that are worth! And with all this magnificence, the USSR remained a country with lowest obesity rate in the world. What has changed during this time? And why did the Soviet people differ in harmony, despite a very dense diet?

Eat and not get fat: why people in the USSR were not obese

Unsplash Breakfast, lunch, afternoon and dinner. And where without the famous Soviet feast! Grandmother Anya at that time was wildly popular not only because of modelBut because of his talent, cooking is great. I still keep a book with her recipes (she loved to eat everyone and everyone at the same time). If you don't want to, you start thinking about what secret information she has. However, if you take this question seriously, you understand that there is no secret. It's all about lifestyle.

Labor paints a person: a dynamic lifestyle of the Soviet people 50 years ago officework Units were employed while a large part of the population worked in factories. Labor wasn't as automated, so every field needed hands. And the very nature of work, even in senior positions, has changed a lot.



In those days, there were no online conferences or SMS, so it was impossible to give quick instructions in a few minutes. Calls were also not so available, call usually only when it was urgent. That's how they preferred to talk. face-to-face. Employees went from office to office, traveled to different parts of the city, often went on business trips. There was no time to sit.

In a healthy body, a healthy mind: the cult of sports in the USSR Soviet athletes were considered the best in almost all disciplines. The political course was strongly sport-oriented, a country with great military potential simply could not do otherwise. All schools and universities had their own sports facultiesThe authorities closely followed the standards, physical education was introduced everywhere. Children were sent to sports sections much more often than now. Sport was available.



Not only the youth, but also the adult life of citizens was saturated with sports. Starting the morning with exercise at any age was common. Joint tourist trips and football games between enterprises were very popular. To this were added vouchers to health resorts.

There was another curious phenomenon, namely the bars in each courtyard. Just think about it: only on the ground. post-Soviet space You'll find so many bars. In the same Europe, there are enough playgrounds with slides and sandboxes, but so that the bars? Such places are called calisthenics parks, they still need to be searched. We went outside and the gym is ready. How many sports games for agility and endurance was invented with these bars – not to count.



And you need to remember that then not finally absorbed motorization. People moved more on foot.

Did the job - walk boldly: active rest of the Soviet man Do not lie boldly, namely walk. Average statistics Soviet It covered an average of 10-12 km per day. Even on their day off, because families, couples and young people often went out to the parks to get some fresh air. What do we do at home? The Internet was not yet invented, computer games are still far away, and not everyone had a TV. Even now, Anya’s grandmother, despite her terrible state of health, still walks through parks with her grandfather under her hand, regardless of the time of year.

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Unsplash Potato rides And in general on the garden - this is the secret of slimness of the Soviet man. And seriously, cottage work really contributed to what the average citizen looked like.

Who does not work, he does not eat: why in the USSR worked absolutely everything feminismThere was no such need in the USSR. Soviet women simply did not understand the problem, because they worked almost equally with men. Yes, the professions were different, but housewives were not all. Let’s just say that not all families could afford it, so that someone in the family did not work.

Honestly, there was something to do at home. No washing machine, no robot vacuum cleaner, no food delivery. The apartment was always full of life. And with the love of some Soviet women for cooking, one could only guess when the doves themselves had time to eat something. Because in times of feasting, it was included competitiveWho stood more at the stove and cooked more salads with mayonnaise?



The beautiful appearance of a person does not spoil: high standards In any culture, there are 1000 and 1 women’s diet, launched on word of mouth radio without medical examination. But in the Soviet Union, the nuance was that our women were no longer inspired by models, but by ballerinas. For example, on diet Modern experts advise to sit no more than a week, it is painfully strict. There were many mono-diets or those on which you could eat only vegetables and fruits.

But it never came to painful thinness. That's because I agree. Stalinist standardsA woman should look healthy, stand firmly on her feet, have a flowering appearance and have lush hips. Sports fit formed the basis of this monumental image. Therefore, although we have a hundred different diets from the past, the Soviet woman never turned herself into a walking skeleton.



Bread is all head: eat and not get fat Despite the fact that even pasta and rice we ate with bread, on weight it did not much affect. In addition, all products were natural and diverse. Sugar substitutes, dyes, flavor enhancers and other nonsense then did not reach us. It tastes. fast-food The Soviet people have not yet tried it.

In addition, each meal was scheduled by minute. People used to watch their diet much better, almost no one ate on the run, no coffee in cups, everywhere dining rooms. The stomach worked like a clock! That’s how it turned out: eat and do not get fat.



Some people remember that the Soviet life simply did not allow to get fat, despite the late-dinner and Olivier. Others say that Soviet women seemed slimmer, but looked older than their European girlfriends. Also, many may note that completeness was characteristic of Soviet man in his youth, but not in adulthood. Probably, this was partly done by the economic grandmothers of Ani, who sought to feed their grandchildren to the dump. If you have time, scroll through old albums for interest and see if it's true. In the USSR there were fewer full people..